Beastly
by Starfire072302
Summary: Rose has finally found a way back to the Doctor. Tearful reunions are definite, but when a series of deaths begin to happen, caused by mysterious circumstances, things start to go awry. There are sightings of terrifying creatures, and a mysterious man in nearby places. Are they connected? And can the Doctor and Rose figure out what's going on before it's too late? (Reunion Fic!)
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi guys! It's Starry! I know, I've been gone too long, but school starts tomorrow, so I decided to write something special for you guys. I can't figure out what in fresh hell to write for Mumbling Nightmares. So it would be a HUGE help if you lovely people could send some ideas in. I would really appreciate that. I'll give the people who help out a shoutout in the next chapter of Mumbling Nightmares. :)**_

 _ **Sorry if this is awful. Heck, it probably will be.**_

 _ **So, I don't know where this came from, but an idea is an idea. So here you go. The title is also literally the first thing I could think of. I hope you guys enjoy this one better than my last Doctor Who story. Anyway, enough of my babble. Enjoy. :)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, and I am not making money from writing this. It is purely fan made. The only thing I own is the plot for this story.**_

* * *

The scientists of Torchwood had done it.

Mark 3.

It had been perfected. After a year of testing, frustration, and many more forms of total fail, it had been done.

What had been done, you might ask?

The dimension cannon was ready to send one person, and one person only over to the alternate dimension. No one else, at least not for a while. This time, though, it wasn't temporary, this trip, oh no. It would send that one person over permanently, sealing the void behind them, not leaving a mark.

Rose Tyler had been waiting for this. She had ordered the construction to begin, after all. Her most prized possessions were slung over her shoulder with a cloth bag. The technicians had told her that said person traveling could only take small items with them. But after this, there was no way back.

The car ride was silent, her mother's arm around her shoulders.

"Promise to be careful?" Jackie asked, squeezing her daughter. It was one of those days where clouds clogged the sky, but the air was crisp and cool, the light leaving no room for shadows.

Rose smiled. It was maybe the sixth time her mother had asked. "Of course. The Doctor will protect me. He always has."

Jackie still wasn't convinced. She looked down, brushing imaginary lint off of Rose's jeans. "But what about the times you almost died? Explain me that. How do I know that you won't die?"

Rose allowed herself a grin. "I won't die, Mum. I'll be fine. Stop worrying so much."

Jackie shook her head, brushing Rose's hair behind her ear. "I'm your Mum, Rose. It's my job to worry. You may be twenty-one now, but to me, your still my baby. "

Rose kissed her mother, and rested her head on her shoulder.

Was she nervous? It would be lying to say she wasn't. She was terrified. What is something happened? Like in Harry Potter, when they practiced apparition, and some of them left body parts where they had been standing previously. What is that happened, and Rose left behind her foot or something? She took a breath, telling herself to stay calm. It was safe, or she wouldn't be doing it. Nonetheless, if it _wasn't_ safe, her Mum would have shut the idea down the moment it came out of her mouth.

The young blonde leaned against the window, pressing her cheek to the glass. She watched endless trees go by, sighing. _Goodbye trees of this dimension._

The car pulled up at the facility, and Rose stepped out on wobbling legs. Mickey stepped up beside her, intertwining her fingers with his. It wasn't loving, just caring. Mickey and her relationship was long over, but they still remained close.

"You'll be okay." He told her, giving her hand a squeeze.

Rose smiled. "Yeah. I know. I'll be fine. I'll miss you."

Mickey smiled. "I'll miss you too."

Pete pushed the doors open, and they stepped into the large building. The woman at the desk at the head of the spacious room regarded the group with lowered spectacles.

"I'm Rose Tyler. I'm here for the dimension canon?"

The woman nodded curtly, and stood. She gestured for them to follow her, Her heels clicking on the floor as she walked.

They were met with another set of double doors, these ones made of metal. The room had a high celling, rafters visible. The floor was swamped with important looking men and women wearing smart white coats. The canon was stationed in the middle of the room. It looked similar to the second version of the dimension canon, but was a great deal bigger. It was pointed towards a raised platform. Slowly, she released her death grip on Mickey's hand, and took a step forward.

Rose shook as her mother embraced her, kissing the crown of her head. "My Rose." She said softly. "Be careful. Give the doctor a good hard slap for leaving you behind."

Rose smiled, despite herself. "He didn't have a choice, Mum."

Jackie's grip tightened. "I know, but he could have done more."

The blonde girl shook her head, giving her mother one last kiss on the head. As she waved one last time to her parents and Mickey, she fisted the strap of her bag tightly in her hand. She couldn't believe it. She was finally going back. Sure, she would have a lot of explaining to do, but seeing the Doctor again was worth it. She stepped onto the transport pad, doing her best to give her loved ones a smile, which probably looked a bit more wonky than she liked. Her mother blew a kiss.

Her hands were shaking. She glanced over her shoulder, giving the technician at the controls a thumbs up. Where she would end up, she had no idea, but seeing him would be worth it. She's find him. Just look for the TARDIS. Of course, she had thought about all of this quite thoroughly the night before, anticipation gnawing at her insides, depriving her of sleep.

"I love you!" Jackie shouted, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I love you too, Mum!"

Rose wrapped her arms around herself.

And her world erupted into a column of light.

* * *

 _ **That... Went way better than I thought it would. I'll have the next chapter up right away. I really hope you guys like this. I have a feeling I'm going to really enjoy writing as the Doctor.**_

 _ **Anyway, stay tuned!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Okay, well, What did you guys think of the last chapter? Cuz I still think it kind of sucked. This chapter will be better, I hope. Anyway, enjoy!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to BBC, not me. I am just the writer of this story.**_

* * *

Spinning...

Spinning...

Her stomach clenched, head whirling. It felt like her head was being slowly unscrewed from her shoulders. She kept her eyes clenched shut, as tight as she could, not daring to open them. Her stomach gurgled, her head continuing to spin. She felt heavy as lead, and for some reason, she thought about rides at amusement parks, the one ride that spins so fast that you are pinned to the wall, barely able to move a finger. It felt about a million times worse than that.

It felt like her limbs were being tugged on by someone with superhuman strength.

Her insides felt like mush, and her brain sloshed in her head. Her stomach convulsed violently.

She kept images of his handsome face in her mind as wind whipped her face, tore at her hair, and still, she kept her eyes clenched shut. Her stomach churned once again, and she felt a rushing sensation.

The rushing sensation of falling.

With a crash, and a pain in her back, everything was calm. Rose opened her eyes, looking up at the sky.

 _The sky._

She had done it. She sat up half way, propping herself up on her elbows.

 _"Where am I?"_

All she could see was grass, grass, and more grass. She looked over her shoulder, and conveniently, there was a stretch of road. She propped herself into a sitting position, and hoisted herself to her feet.

A wave of dizziness washed over her, followed by nausea. She fell to her knees, and promptly vomited. She wretched until her stomach was empty, and even until nothing came out. Her body was shaking, and she gave a small whimper.

Everything hurt. Everything from the tip of her nose to the tips of her toes. She needed to find the Doctor, wherever he was. But what could she do? How would she find him? She knew the sound of the TARDIS, and she knew that face anywhere, unless he's regenerated again. She could always find some alien disturbance. Wherever one of those happened, he wasn't far behind. Oh, how she'd missed him. Him, and his sort-of-brown hair that stuck up in odd directions. Him, and his brainy specs. Him, and his long coat and high top trainers. Him, and the smile that lit up his entire face.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a raindrop hit the top of her head. And then another. And then several more. Painstakingly, she stood up, stomach churning again. She removed her bag, and held it over her head, running to a group of willow trees near the road, hoping for some form shelter.

She made her way to the biggest willow tree, and slid herself down against the trunk. The rain still dripped around her, but it was much less torrential than the downpour outside. She shivered, and opened her bag; pulled out a pair of thin cotton gloves. She slipped them onto her hands. She pulled her thin jacket around herself.

She stood, looking up at the draping branches. A raindrop fell, landing in her eye. Rose gave a tiny gasp, hand flying to her face. She staggered, and her free hand dipped into her bag, groping for a cloth. Her fingers wrapped around a spare t-shirt, and she pulled it to her face, wiping her eye. She had somehow managed to walk around the trunk or the tree. She sat down again, attempting to calm her building nausea. She tucked her feet underneath herself, and looked down at the leaf littered ground.

But that wasn't all that was there. Something dark was staining the ground. Rose froze, looking closer. It looked almost like...

Blood.

 _Blood._

 _Oh God._

The nausea increased.

Her eyes followed the ever-widening trail, splatters of the stuff staining the leaves, until she saw something that made her stomach lurch.

A body.

The body of a woman, to be exact.

The woman was young, maybe Rose's age. She was laying on her back, sightless hazel eyes staring up at the branches of the tree far above her. She had brown hair, long and strait, fanned out around on the ground around her head, Her face was thin and pale, eyes large and doll-like. She had a small, upturned nose, and full lips. She was wearing a pair of cut off shorts, paired with black leggings, and a pair of heeled ankle boots. As well as this, she was clad in a purple V-neck (or the remains of one) and a brown leather jacket. A brown leather purse was laying a few feet away.

She was very dead, judging on the amount of blood pooled around her body. The front of her shirt was also stained with blood. Even without moving it, Rose could see that the woman's chest had been torn apart. Rose's heart was pounding in her chest.

Without a second thought, she ran outside into the rain, and vomited again.

Rose sat there retching for a solid minute, the rain chilling her down to the bone. After recovering her breath, she stood on shaky legs, and walked back under the protection of the canopy. She examined the scene, and knelt beside the purse. She opened it, pulling out a wallet. Carefully opening it, she searched for some sort of ID. She wanted to know who this poor woman was. Se finally found a drivers license. She pulled it out, looking for a name.

 _"Celia Lloyd."_

She was twenty-two years old.

Her first hour in the other dimension, and she finds a dead body.

Great.

Rose shoved the driver's license back into the wallet, which went back into the purse. She clutched her already weak stomach, and let out a pitiful sounding wail.

She stood up, and ran into the downpour.

This probably wouldn't work, but it didn't hurt to try. She needed him.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted. "I need you! Help me!"

Nothing. Nothing but the _pitter-patter_ of the rain hitting the ground.

She dropped to her knees, sobbing.

"I need you..."

Of course it wouldn't work. It wasn't like he would just step out of the mist, and pick her up, spin her around. Life didn't work like that.

"Help me..."

Rose sobbed a few minutes longer before standing again. She needed to call the police, do something about this body.

She could find Torchwood. She _needed_ to find Torchwood. They could help her get to the Doctor. She fumbled around her soaked bag, and pulled out a mobile phone, thankfully partially dry. She dialed 999, and held the phone up to her ear with a trembling hand.

She almost cried with relief when it rang.

 _"999. What's your emergency?"_

Rose began to sob.

 _"Miss?"_ The operator asked. _"Miss, what's happening?"_

"I... I found a body."

 _"_ _Okay, tell me what happened."_

Rose certainly couldn't tell the operator she has just traveled from another dimension. So she fabricated something believable.

"I was taking a walk. It started to rain, so I took shelter under a willow tree, and..." She trailed off, her voice breaking.

 _"It's going to be okay. What's your name?"_

"My name is Rose Tyler."

 _"Did you know the victim?"_

"I've never seen her before in my life. I'm sorry, I wish I could be of more help."

 _"That's alright. Now, where are you?"_

Rose froze. "I don't know."

 _"Calm down, miss. Can you see a sign? Anything noteworthy?"_

"No."

 _"Can you describe the area you're in?"_

"Yeah, I'll try. I'm in a grove of willow trees along a road." She stepped out of said grove, and walked a couple feet before stopping. She nearly laughed with relief when she saw a sign. "I found a sign."

 _"What does it say?_

"It says that I'm 4 kilometers from Cardiff."

 _"Thank you. The station has been notified, and squad cars are on their way."_

Rose began gave a shuddering breath. "Thank you, thank you."

 _"Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?"_

Rose sniffed. "Yeah."

 _"The squad cars should be there in a couple of minutes. Just hang tight until then."_

"Okay."

Sure enough, a few minutes later, police sirens could be heard. Rose began to jump up and down, waving her arms like a madwoman. But she was cold, and sitting in heated car while wrapped in a blanket sounded brilliant.

The cars pulled up, and officers stepped out. Rose began to cry again, slumping to her knees. A tall, broad shouldered officer knelt beside her, and put a hand on her shoulder. Standing beside him was a man in a trench coat.

"Are you Rose Tyler?"

Rose nodded, unable to speak.

"My name is Officer Lawson, and this is Detective Jones. We'll get you some dry clothes, but can you show us where you found the body?"

Again, she nodded, and the officer opened an umbrella, handing it to her. She took it, and led the way, ducking under the hanging leaves of the willow. She pointed without looking.

Detective Jones knelt beside the body, and snapped a pair of latex gloves onto his hands. He felt for a pulse, and then stood, taking his place next to Lawson.

"She's dead, alright. No pulse. It looks like whoever or whatever killed her used some kind of hook. The poor girl's been torn apart."

The paramedics stormed into the scene with a gurney. The scooped the body up, and placed it on the gurney, the wrapped it in a sheet. Rose watched them wheel her away.

Jones turned to Rose, a pen and paper in his hands. "I need you to tell me about the events leading up to finding the body. Leave out nothing. Every detail is important."

And so Rose did. From her fabricated walk to taking shelter, and then to the gruesome discovery.

The detective's hand was moving furiously. When she finished, he thanked her. Lawson asked her a few questions, and then asked her if she needed a ride home.

Rose shook her head, "I need to find someone."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure you'd know who he is."

"Try me. I'm a police officer, remember? I'll do my best to help. What's this person's name?"

Rose smiled. "That's the hard part."

"They don't have a name?" Lawson asked, perplexed.

"He's called the Doctor."

Lawson gave her the same perplexed look. "Doctor who?"

* * *

 _ **Oh my god that went so much better than last chapter did. I really enjoyed writing that, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. I'll have the next chapter up ASAP. See ya!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Heya! Told you guys I'd be back. Anyway, Let's begin!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. I am not making any money off of this story.**_

* * *

 _Rose shook her head, "I need to find someone."_

 _"Who?"_

 _"I'm not sure you'd know who he is."_

 _"Try me. I'm a police officer, remember? I'll do my best to help. What's this person's name?"_

 _Rose smiled. "That's the hard part."_

 _"They don't have a name?" Lawson asked, perplexed._

 _"He's called the Doctor."_

 _Lawson gave her the same perplexed look. "Doctor who?"_

Rose smiled. "Just the Doctor."

Lawson regarded her suspiciously. "Okay, and where can we find him?"

"Torchwood? Torchwood Institute, They can help me."

The police officer regarded her for a second before slowly, he nodded. "Yes. I actually do. I used to work there. But how did you know about them? Not even the Prime Minister knows about them."

Rose smiled. "I have a friend."

"His name?"

"Captain Jack Harkness."

The officer smiled. "Oh yes. I know Jack. The one who can't die."

Rose laughed. "I was the one who made that so." She paused, noting at his questioning gaze. "It's kind of a long story."

They walked to the cruiser, and Lawson pulled a blanket from the trunk, wrapping it around Rose's shoulders. The rain had softened to a drizzle. Rose sat in the back, the hard seats uncomfortable. But at least it was warm.

The Torchwood building was the same as ever. Tall and castle like, with towers and tall windows. The car pulled up, and rose stepped out. The policeman rolled down the window. We're gonna need your cell number. We'll need to contact you in some way."

Rose nodded, telling them. She then handed back the blanket, thanking them. They then zoomed off with a final farewell.

She turned, the building towering above her. She rang the buzzer. A familiar American accent answered.

 _"State your intentions."_

"Jack? Jack is that you?"

 _"Who is this?"_

"It's Rose, Jack. I'm back."

A silence. _"Rose? That's impossible. Gwen? Ianto? Is this a joke?"_

Rose laughed. "No, Jack. It's really me."

 _"How do I know you're not a Zygon?"_

"Do you remember the London Blitz? My Union Jack shirt? The barrage balloon?" She then added, "Are you my mummy?"

 _"Oh my God."_ Rose heard a whoop, followed by a laugh. _"Come in now, I'm opening the doors."_

Almost giddy, Rose pushed open the doors. She ran strait into Captain Jack Harkness himself. He gave her a grin. "Oh, Rose. It really _is_ you."

He hugged her tightly, and she more than happily hugged back. He pulled away and immediately sprang into action.

"But how?"

"The parallel dimension's Torchwood."

Jack was grinning. "I need to call Martha."

"Who's Martha?" Rose inquired.

"She's the Doctor's ex-companion. She can call him. If I know anything about the Doctor, I know he'll want to see you."

* * *

Martha was over as quick as possible. After a long winded explanation, Martha agreed.

"He's on his way. He didn't seem to believe me, but he's on his way and it's better than nothin'"

Martha Jones was a pretty woman with dark skin and dark hair. She had wide brown eyes to match. She was dressed in blue scrubs and a long white coat. A stethoscope was looped around her shoulders.

"Are you a doctor?" Rose asked.

Martha nodded. "In training, technically."

"That's great!" Rose beamed.

Martha smiled back. "So you're the famous Rose Tyler?"

Rose grinned. "Famous?"

"The Doctor went on and on about you. He misses you like crazy."

Rose's heart fluttered.

Fluttered and leapt.

She could hear the noise. That oh-so-familiar noise of the TARDIS materializing.

"Oh my god." Rose leapt to her feet, but didn't have to go far. As she reached the door, she ran smack-dab into someone. The someone backed up.

Dressed in his usual pinstripes, long brown trench coat, and high top trainers, was the Doctor, hair as unruly as ever.

His sonic screwdriver was pointed at her face, whirring away. He pulled his glasses from his pocket, placing them on his face. Fury radiated off him in waves. He turned sharply to Martha, walking over to her in three quick strides.

"Martha Jones, what is the meaning of this? Why are you doing this?" His teeth were bared, eyes flaming.

"It's her, Doctor."

Rose smiled, tears streaking her face. "Yeah. It's me."

"How? Impossible. How can it be? She was trapped." He removed his glasses.

"It's me," Rose said, "It's really me." She laughed, more tears falling.

The Doctor stepped closer, dark eyes studying her. His sonic was out again, whirring away. His brow was furrowed, disbelief shining in his dark eyes. Scans said _whatever_ this creature was, in fact, human. Not Zygon. Not anything else. He tapped the screwdriver three times against his palm sharply, and tried again. The same results. Was it? No. It couldn't be. She was gone. She couldn't be here. Not his Rose. Where there ways he hadn't thought of? No, of course not. He'd tried them all. _Well,_ almost all. _Well,_ The ones that wouldn't rip a hole in the fabric of time. But he'd tried everything that would help. _Well,_ -Oh never mind, there's still something that needs answering.

"Who are you?" He asked finally. "And why have you taken _her_ form?"

Rose grinned despite herself. "It's Rose, Doctor. I'm here. I made it back."

"Prove it." His response was quick and sharp. "Prove you're her. Only Rose would know the first thing I said to her. In my last body."

Rose smiled again. "You said 'run.' Then, you grabbed my hand, and we ran."

The Doctor's gaze was still skeptical.

"How?"

"Parallel Torchwood. The dimension cannon was perfected... 'nd here I am."

"There's only one way to find out if that's accurate. And if you're Rose, you'll have the void stuff. Only people who have traveled through the void have that. So if you're lying, I'll know. Whatever you are, be scared. Because this will give you away." The Doctor then pulled a pair of 3D glasses from his coat pocket, and triumphantly put them on his face. The other people in the room exchanged confused glances.

"You... The void stuff." He removed the glasses, placing them back into the pocket of his coat. "But.. how? How _can_ it be?" His face softened, brown eyes watery. "It can't be. Are you really my Rose?"

Rose nodded, grin widening. "The one and only."

Tentatively, he stepped forward, examining her closer. Slowly, he raised a hand, cupping her cheek in it.

"I can't believe it." He said, a smile forming on his disbelieving face. "You came back."

And he hugged her. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing into his coat. That coat, the coat that he always threw over the coral struts in the TARDIS. The coat that billowed behind him as he walked, and that the two of them lay on all that time ago on New Earth. Tears streaked his own cheeks, he found. He buried her nose in her hair, breathing in the familiar strawberry scent of her shampoo.

"Rose Tyler." he tried, "It feels good to say that again."

Rose grinned. "Missed you."

The Doctor smiled. "I missed you too, Rose."

He lifted her up, and spun her in a circle, laughing merrily.

He looked over at Martha, giving her a bright grin. "Thank you, Martha Jones. Bless you." He embraced her tightly, and then went back to stand beside Rose.

Martha tried her best to smile back, but couldn't help the jealousy sprouting in the pit of her stomach. She fought it back, though, shoving it away. She should be happy. But seeing the Doctor look at someone in a way that he never looked at her; with adoration, jubilance and most of all love, was overwhelming for her. But as she tried, the smile came easy. And she was happy for him, and for her.

"Well, Rose Tyler!" The Doctor called, gripping the blonde's hand, "To the TARDIS!"

And her began to run again, a spring in his step, pulling her along with him. The merriness of his gait made Rose grin. As they left the room, Rose sent another large grin in the direction of Jack and the rest of the people in the room. She knew not to let go, for the Doctor wouldn't release her hand even if she used a crowbar.

"Thank you!" She shouted back."

The familiar blue Police Box was situated in a corner of the hall. Rose laughed as they reached the doors, and the Doctor unlocked them. The warm coral glow of the console room enveloped her like an embrace, and she ran a hand along the rail of the walkway. A pleasant and joyful murmur filled her head, and she gave a small smile.

"I missed you too, old girl."

The Doctor ran ahead, tossing his coat across a coral strut. He skipped to his usual place at the console, pushing buttons, pulling levers, and giving something a bang with his mallet. The scraping noise of the TARDIS taking off filled Rose's ears as she scrambled to take a seat in the pilot's chair. She gave a whoop of laughter matching the Doctor's as the unsteady landing threw Rose from the chair and the Doctor from his feet.

She was home.

* * *

 **Ahhh! Sorry that took so long! Well, here you go! New chapter! I really like writing as the Doctor. It's fun.**

 **Anyway, see you in the next chapter!**

 **~Starry**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Heya! I got a review! Yayy! That made me really happy! So anyway, this is pretty much the part where the whole Rose-found-a-body thing comes into play. So enjoy!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor who, and I am not making money off of this story.**_

* * *

 _The Doctor ran ahead, tossing his coat across a coral strut. He skipped to his usual place at the console, pushing buttons, pulling levers, and giving something a bang with his mallet. The scraping noise of the TARDIS taking off filled Rose's ears as she scrambled to take a seat in the pilot's chair. She gave a whoop of laughter matching the Doctor's as the unsteady landing threw Rose from the chair and the Doctor from his feet._

 _She was home._

xXx

They lay side by side like that for a while, just grinning. The Doctor propped himself up on his elbows, turning to face her.

"So." He started. "I want you to tell me everything. From the time you got here to now."

Rose's face fell. "That's... a bit complicated."

"Oh, complicated is good. Complicated it fantastic. I like complicated. Complicated makes things interesting. Complicated makes us think, it makes me think, I certainly hope it makes you think. Did you know that there is a species with technology so complicated that if something breaks, the people have to take it to a special-"

"Doctor!"

He stopped, turning his attention back to her. "Sorry."

"Well, if you want to know, the journey here was... how you say, displeasing."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "I could imagine so. Inter dimensional travel without a vessel can make you sick."

Rose pursed her lips, pushing herself up. She tucked her legs beneath her, leaning back against the pilot's chair. "Yeah, I threw up."

He squeezed her hand in response. "That's never fun."

"And then it started to rain, and I went to this grove of willow trees to get out of the rain. And... And under the tree I was under, I found..." Rose paused, swallowing a lump.

"What did you find, Rose? You can tell me." The Doctor was sitting now, legs folded indian style.

"I found a body. The chest had been completely torn apart. That poor woman. It was almost of someone had dragged an enormous hook down the front of her body. It was awful."

The Doctor's posture turned rigid. "Where?"

"About 4 kilometers off Cardiff. Why?" Rose regarded him uncertainly.

"Rose, it's easier if I show you."

xXx

The Doctor stood again, putting the TARDIS into flight again. When they had landed, the Doctor led Rose to the Doors.

"Where are we?" Rose asked.

"Cardiff Central Police Station."

He flung open the doors, revealing a slate grey building. The building had many windows adorning the top two floors, and a set of stairs leading to the double doors. A sign marked the purpose of the building.

The Doctor led Rose up the stairs and through the doors. The receptionist regarded him though thick glasses. "May I help you?"

The Doctor nodded. My name is Doctor John Smith, and this is Lily Jones, my partner. We're here to examine the body of..." He turned to Rose.

"Celia Lloyd."

"Celia Lloyd." He echoed.

The woman looked him up and down. "Can I see some ID?"

The Doctor withdrew his psychic paper, flashing it at the woman.

She nodded. "Go on in."

xXx

The room they entered was white and sterile. Six gurneys were lined up side by side. They were each covered with a white sheet. The Doctor pulled on a pair of latex gloves, and peeled back the sheet that covered one of the bodies. Rose recoiled. The body had been cleaned since she last saw it, but it was still Celia Lloyd, with the long strait brown hair and the thin pale face. Her breasts were covered by a white towel, and three long angry red claw marks raked up her body from hip to shoulder, marring her pale skin, and disappearing under the towel. Rose turned, unable to view her for long.

"There have been six attacks now." The Doctor started. "All have been found around Cardiff. I don't know why, and neither do the police. Each of the victims look as if they've been raked across the chest by something with claws. Big ones. _Really_ big ones. There have been no footprints, no fingerprints, no nothing. Not even a fiber of evidence to convict anyone. Not even a mouse. Not that a mouse could have committed the crime. Not with those small paws. Unless it was like, some kind of super mouse. But that's besides the point."

He walked the length of the room a couple of times, pushing his glasses onto his face.

"But it _doesn't make sense._ " He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "There has to be something causing it. No footprints. Is the thing _flying?_ No, no. To leave cuts that deep, it would either have to swoop down at an extremely high velocity." He smacked himself on the forehead. "I just handed myself the answer. But what kind of creature does that?"

He turned to Rose. "Do you have any ideas?"

Rose thought for a moment. "Those things that appeared when my dad didn't die when he was supposed to?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No. Those only appear when something in time has been wronged or broken. Also, those creatures don't maul people, they eat them. But it was a good guess."

"Do you have any ideas?" Rose asked.

"No, for once, I don't know. And I really don't like not knowing." He shuddered. "It feels weird."

"Well," Rose walked up, situating herself beside him, "what should we do?"

"We could track it..." The Doctor trailed off, absently rubbing his chin. _"Oh!"_ He shouted, startling Rose. "That's it! I can scan the claw marks! Maybe, just _maybe_ my sonic will pick up a trace of whatever this thing is."

He whipped his sonic screwdriver out of his trench coat, whirring away. After the whirring stopped, he did a little leap. "Got it!"

The sonic was emitting a little pinging noise every few seconds. He grabbed Rose's hand, and gave her a grin bordering on maniac. "Allons-y!"

* * *

The pinging got louder depending on the direction they went.

"I think we got it." The Doctor grinned, squeezing Rose's hand. Rose squeezed back, but she was a tad bit nervous about what they'd find. If the whatever-it-was could do _that_ to someone, she wasn't particularly keen on finding out what it could do to her or the Doctor.

The pinging led them to an alley, where it stopped. The Doctor whacked the screwdriver on his palm, trying to retrieve the signal, but to no avail. The alley was dark and dank, with a faint smell of mildew hanging in the air. The sun was setting, and finger-like shadows danced across the ground in bunches.

"Damn." He said, turning to Rose. "We lost it." He scanned the air around them, including the walls, trying to pick up something. "If it led us here, there has to be a reason. The thing must have been here. Unless we were just led on a wild goose chase. Come to think of it, I've never gotten that phrase. 'Wild goose chase.' I've always wondered, who would wildly chase a goose? Why would they wildly chase a goose? I know I wouldn't wildly chase a goose. Would you?" He sighed, placing his glasses back in his pocket.

"Oh. _Oh!"_ He shouted, once again startling Rose. "That's exactly what has been happening. We've been chasing a wild goose. In this case, the goose being in the form of the creature. We've been had. It sensed that we had it's signal, and ran to some remote area, and then disappeared. Which means... oh. Oh no."

"What?" Rose asked, suddenly fearful.

"If we've followed this thing somewhere remote, this wasn't a chase. No, we've been lured here. And if I know anything about geese, I know that if you get too close, they bite. And that's just what this one is going to do."

Rose stepped a bit closer, and he pulled her to him.

"We have to leave."

"What?"

" _Now_. We have to leave now, or we'll die." His expression was dark, but otherwise unreadable.

The wind picked up, and the temperature suddenly dropped. Rose shivered.

"Rose," The Doctor said, an edge to his voice, "We have to go now."

Hurriedly, she nodded.

But they weren't alone.

Footsteps. The quiet tap of footsteps padded along behind them. Rose looked over her shoulder.

Nothing. Not even an animal. Unnerved, she squeezed the Doctor's hand, and picked up her pace.

"Do you hear that?" She asked, voice shaking.

The Doctor didn't look at her. "Yes. I hear them, alright. We're being followed." He, too looked back, only to have the same results as his companion.

"Nothing's there though. But 'nothing' can't have footsteps, let alone feet." He stopped altogether, and turned. "It's a cute trick, whatever you are, but we know you're there."

"Doctor, I don't think-" He cut her off.

"Come on out. Let me look at you." His voice was sharp. "Show yourself."

The temperature wavered, then dropped much colder than it had before. A low growl echoed from somewhere in the alley. A lightning bolt of fear shot down Rose's spine.

"Doctor, we need to go," Rose's voice wavered nervously. "You said so yourself."

"But something's here. I want to know what. Like I said, I _really_ don't like not knowing." His sonic was out; it was whirring.

His voice had dropped do a dangerous growl. "By Article 17 of the Shadow Proclamation, you have entered this planet unauthorized, and I demand you show yourself."

The growl got louder.

"Torchwood will be on you like flies on honey if you don't show yourself." His voice had a dangerous edge, "Or you could deal with me. I'm reasonable. But killing me is something you probably won't accomplish."

The wind picked up, and the growl wavered, but hunched in the corner of the alley, hovering a few inches from the ground, something began to materialize.

The shape seemed to be formed from the very shadows around it. Dread hung around it like a cloud, and out of the haze, Rose could make out two milky-colored orbs. The body of the creature came into focus as well. It was that of a scrawny, almost hairless black dog, but it was almost as large as a tiger. A ridge of course hair ran from the bottom of the tail to the top of the neck. It's tail was long, curling around the body. The head was also that of a hairless dog, with cocked back pointed ears and yellow teeth, and it turned out that the eyes were the milky colored orbs. They glowed like dim searchlights. It's back paws were large and wolf-like, with dagger-like claws. It's front paws (if you could even call them that) were almost hand-like, with wicked looking talons. They were coated with dried blood. It was clinging to the wall of the alley like a spider.

Rose took a step back.

It regarded her with it's glowing gaze, and in a swift movement, it lunged.

* * *

 _ **Okay, so we've met the creature. It literally took me forever to come up with that description. I have no idea what it is, but I like it.**_

 _ **Anyway, sorry for the cliffhanger.**_

 _ **Stay tuned!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


End file.
